Tao Porchon Lynch

(the oldest yoga instructor) - now 98 years old
turning 99 this Summer, 2017.
taoPorchon-Lynch.com

96-year-old Holds The World Record For Oldest Yoga Teacher

youTube.com/watch?v=u76yQEdflVM

WHAT IS YOGA?

http://yoga.org.nz/what-is-yoga/yoga_definition.htm

The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means "to join"

Yoga is a practical aid, not a religion.

Yoga is an ancient art based on a harmonizing system of development for the body, mind, and spirit.

The continued practice of yoga will lead you to a sense of peace and well-being, and also a feeling of being at one with their environment.

"…The practice of yoga makes the body strong and flexible, it also improves the functioning of the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and hormonal systems. Yoga brings about emotional stability and clarity of mind."

"For most people getting old is a decision they make whether they know it or not. It basically comes down to the saying – Use it or lose it! "

WHAT IS PRANAYAMA?

consciousHealth.net/pranayam-breathing-exercise-conscious-health-nahid-ameen/

Pranayama is a Sanskrit word which literally translates into “extension of the prana or breath”.
- ‘Prana’ means life-force and it is the life-force or vital energy that pervades the body.
- Prana is the link between mind and consciousness.

Pranayama is a part of Yoga system that teaches you the art of extending your breath in many different ways. When practicing pranayama the breath should be skillfully inhaled, exhaled and retained.
It teaches you to change the depth, rate and pattern of breathing.

Does a 12-week yoga program influence respiratory function of elderly women?

J Hum Kinet. 2014 Nov 12;43:177-84. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2014-0103.

(answer : YES!)

ABSTRACT : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25713658
KEYWORDS: elderly; respiratory strength; respiratory volumes; women; yoga;

FULL ARTICLE: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4332178/

the procedures were approved by the institutional Ethics Committee of the Catholic University of Brasília

Subjects:

- The sample comprised 36 women randomly divided into two groups of equal size (18 in each group).

- a yoga group (YG) with a mean age of 63.1 ± 13.3 years.

- a control group (CG) with a mean age of 61.0 ± 6.9 years.

note: In "western civilizations" studies analysed young adults and children, especially those suffering from asthma.

All the volunteers were residing in Brasília, and surrounding areas of Distrito Federal and the recruitment procedure was performed at the convenience of the researcher. Only women over 55 years of age, not engaged in any type of physical exercise (including yoga) in the previous six months, presenting a functional teeth set and without former pulmonary disease were allowed to participate in the study.

Procedures:

The aim of the present study was to analyse the influence of a 12-week (3 month) yoga program on pulmonary volumes and respiratory muscle strength in elderly women.

Before the start of the experiment, all women went to the Studies in Physical Exercise and Health Laboratory (Brasília Catholic University-Brazil) to discard any possible medical counter indication.

Yoga Program:

Preparatory phase:
5 min relaxing with nasal respiratory exercises and 5 min for a joint warm-up.

During respiratory exercises the participants were sitting and performed the following exercises:

i) Adhama Pranayama (deep breathes with or without air retention);
ii) Kapalabhati (exhaling the air with vigour through the nostrils);
iii) Nadi Sodhana (alternated breathing through the nostrils);
iv) Bastrika (inhaling and exhaling as fast and strong as possible, producing a noise as loud as the sound of a sickle).

Concomitantly with these respiratory exercises, techniques for abdominal muscles were also performed: Udyana Bhanda (contraction of the abdominal region breathing normally or after a forced exhalation) and Jalandhara Bandha (contraction of larynx muscles after an inhalation).

tao

Main phase: 50 min to repeat 15 positions (asanas),
with 15 to 20 s per each repetition.

The positions were as follows:
tree position (vrikasana), triangle position (triconasana), royal ballerina (natarajasana), hands on feet (padahastasana), wheel position (chakrasana), vertebral column torsion (vakrasana), incan position (pashimotanasana), snake position (bhujangasana), turtle position (kurmasana), cat position (katuspadasana), grasshopper position (salabhasana), head on the knees (janusirsharsana), arch position (danurasana), sail (sarvangasana) and the sickle (viparitakarani) (Luby, 1977).

Final phase: 10 min for final induced relaxation, with natural and spontaneous breathing through the nostrils with the individuals in dorsal decubitus and eyes closed.

Details:

The effects of a yoga program on pulmonary volumes and respiratory muscle strength were verified in 36 elderly women divided into a yoga group [YG] (63.1 ± 13.3 years of age) and a control group (61.0 ± 6.9 years of age).
Maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure (MIP and MEP) were assessed by a manovacuometer and tidal volume (VT), vital capacity (VC) and minute ventilation (VE) were measured by a ventilometer.

Results:

This study tested the hypothesis that yoga practice can improve respiratory function in the elderly.
- The main finding of this study was that the subjects that were submitted to the yoga program achieved significant changes in their pulmonary volumes and respiratory muscle strength.

- Additionally, the resting heart rate and respiratory rate also decreased significantly after the 12-week program.

The heart rate (HR) was obtained by a Finger-Tip oximeter (NONIN®).

"It was concluded that a 12-week yoga program significantly improves pulmonary function of aged women."

Pranayama

Benefits of Pranayama:

Pranayama techniques are beneficial in treating a range of stress related disorder.
1) Pranayama improves the autonomic functions.
2) It helps relieving the symptoms of asthma.
3) It reduces the signs of oxidative stress in the body.
4) Practicing pranayama everyday can assist in steady mind, strong will power and sound judgement.
5) Number of studies show that pranayama causes change in the cardio respiratory system including lowering of blood pressure
6) Certain pranayama’s are excellent for weight loss.